Page 15

It’s the next day, and Coby and I are in the stands waiting for East and Caro’s finals. They both got through their semis and are now waiting for their respective finals to begin. East will be first, and he’s still a little off his game. I just hope he settles down in the marshalling area. I am sure Caro will give him a nice big pep talk.

East’s division walks out, and I clap for them as they take up their positions behind their starting blocks.

“Do you think he will have put his nerves aside?” I ask Coby as he entwines his fingers with mine.

“I sure hope so because the American he’s up against is one of the best.”

As they dive into the water and take their mark up against the wall, I take in a deep breath and send out a silent cheer for East. I hope he can pull something out of the bag for this race.

The starting signal fires and they all leap off the wall and back into the pool. I beam as he starts off strong, gliding under the water. His muscles are all working in unison for the perfect stroke as he comes up and windmills along the lane. He appears in much better form than the heat and semi. Whatever Caro told him must have worked. He soars through the water at the same pace as the American.

I bounce in my seat as he ducks and hits the wall.

My head shifts, and I focus on the board.

He’s just in front of the American.

I squeal as I turn to Coby, who beams. We both bounce in our seats with excitement.

East pushes hard, but the American is gaining, and they’re neck and neck.

“C’mon, East,” Coby chimes and grips my hand a little tighter.

We can both see he’s falling behind. Chewing my bottom lip, I bounce on my seat. The crowd cheers for East. He and the American dive, aiming for that elusive wall. I hold my breath, and the screen lights up.

The American gold and East silver.

I slump.

Coby sighs.

“Silver is amazing,” I say.

“Hey, any medal is fantastic at the Olympics. I just hope East sees it that way.”

Nodding, I gaze down at the pool to see East climbing out and patting the American on the back. At least he’s being a good sportsman about it.

They clear the pool deck, and Caro’s lineup walks out. I’m even more nervous than I was for East. I hope Caro can pull out something spectacular because she’s competing against Marta and Anna from England.

“Let’s hope Caro can smash Marta out of the water.”

“Fingers crossed. Let’s hope Anna beats Marta, too. That would certainly rub it in.”

Laughing, I cuddle into Coby’s side.

Caro takes her mark on the starting block, and my stomach twists. I hope Marta didn’t try any of her scare tactics on Caro before the race. But from the lack of black eyes on Marta, I’m assuming she didn’t. Caro isn’t like me. She will fight back, but more with her fists than with her mouth. God love her.

The starting signal sounds, and they all dive into the water.

My muscles stiffen and clench with anxiety as Caro stays under the water longer than anyone else. My knee agitates up and down on the spot as I watch her finally come up for air, taking a breath and stroking out from her chest into a perfect breaststroke. Her legs kick out like a frog, and her form is flawless. Tuck will be so proud.

She races ahead of Marta and Anna, and I jump up and down on my seat as she’s out by half a body length. If she can keep this up, she will have it in the bag. They push to the wall, and Caro turns a second before Marta to continue with her great lead.

I can’t stand the pressure, so I stand up, and Coby follows me as we continue to hold hands and move from our toes to our heels in excitement. “C’mon, Caro, don’t fall behind,” I shout without caring who hears me. Trinny, Harry, and the boys are here somewhere, cheering just as loud.

“C’mon, Caro.” Coby grips my hand.

“She’s gonna do it, Cobes,” I murmur, and he chuckles.

“I think she is.”

My stomach somersaults as she approaches the wall, Marta still half a body length behind her and Anna behind Marta. Tears fill my eyes as I hold my breath. She dives into the water, her hands hitting the wall and the screen lighting up.

Caro wins Gold!

“Oh my God!” I scream as I skip on the spot, and Coby turns, wrapping me in his arms. “She did it. She actually did it!”

He pulls back as I cry. “C’mon, let’s go down to the athletes’ area to celebrate with them.”

Coby takes my hand, and we race off through the crowd, down toward the athletes’ area to find East, and to wait for Caro. Finding East is easy—he’s the one dry-humping the pole.

Laughing as we approach him, Coby shakes his head. “Congrats, mate!”

East stops humping the pole and turns to face us. “Not a bad effort for a pole fucker, huh?” he quips, and I shake my head.

“You’re weird,” I tease.

He purses his lips. “That’s why the bitches love me.”

Rolling my eyes, I chuckle. “I’m gonna tell Caro you called her a bitch.”

He opens his eyes wide. His face turns serious. “Caro loves me?”

I jolt my head back in shock. “What?”

“The bitches love me, and you claimed Caro was a bitch. So she loves me, right?”

I glance at Coby. “Um… that’s not what I meant. And I don’t know… that’s something you need to ask her. ”

He beams. “Caro loves me,” he murmurs.

I wince and turn to Coby, who’s trying not to laugh.

“So you love her?” I ask.

He scoffs. “Fuck, of course. I just can’t tell her ’cause it’ll scare her off.”

Beaming, I shake my head. “No, you should tell her.”

“Seriously? She won’t think I’m a pussy?”

Laughing, I tilt my head. “Well, she will think you’re a pussy, but then she will give you some pussy.”

East laughs, and Coby beams. “I’ve never heard you talk like that. Caro, yes, but you, no. It’s kinda… hot.” Coby pulls me to him and wraps his arms around my waist.

“Oh, really? What? You like me saying… pussy ?” I utter the last word seductively, and he chuckles.

“Oh, please, don’t you two start getting all googly-eyed at each other,” East berates.

A loud squeal echoes through the area.

We all turn to spot Caro racing for us.

Gathering around for another foursome group hug, she collides with us all, and we laugh as she squeals.

“Oh my God! Did you see, did you see?” she asks, pulling back from us and jumping into East’s arms.

“Babe, you did amazing.”

She leans in, kissing him and I smile at Coby.

Caro pulls back and shakes her head. “I don’t win gold… ever . What the fuck is with that? But you, Mr. Awesome, getting a silver behind that unstoppable American, I’m so proud of you,” she chimes, smiling up at East. He smiles back, moving some wet hair away from her face and behind her ear.

He stares into her eyes and gulps. “I love you,” he blurts.

Opening my eyes wide, I turn to Coby.

I am unsure of how Caro will take this. We haven’t discussed this possibility at all, so I’m not sure where she sits with this idea.

She’s quiet for a second, and then she sniffs. “Really?” she whispers. I grab Coby and walk off when she leaps into East’s arms with an excited squeal. “I love you, too, you big crazy buffoon.”

My stomach flips as they kiss each other, and I spot an official walking over.

“Official, guys,” I whisper.

Caro pulls her lips from East and jumps down from him but gazes at him like he’s the best thing in her world.

The official walks over. I’m gathering that he didn’t witness the kiss between East and Caro, as he doesn’t mention it. “Miss Hughes, can we have your sample, please?”

“Sure.” She takes the container and skips off toward the bathroom.

“Did you hear that? She loves me,” East whispers after she’s out of hearing distance. “This is better than the silver medal, I swear.”

I shuffle forward and hug him tightly. He wraps his arms around me and swirls me from side to side, making me laugh.

“I’m so happy for you guys.”

He pulls me back and turns from me to Coby. “You two need to sort your shit out, so you can be as happy as Caro and me. Think of all the time you two wasted being apart. You could be where we are now. Don’t let each other slip through the cracks again,” East states categorically, and I smile.

“How romantic of you, East.”

He frowns. “I’m serious. You two are perfect for each other. Wake up and see that, will you?” He pats my shoulder before walking away, leaving me with Coby.

I take a deep breath. “Once the Games are over, we can figure out where we stand. Okay?” I ask, and he nods.

“I’d like that. I need you in my life, Lacy.”

Smiling, I reach out and take his hand. We head for the athletes’ area to find a spot for us to sit and relax and celebrate.

***

The finals are over.

We’re relaxing in the athletes’ area when two officials approach our table.

“Miss Hughes, can we talk to you, please?” one of them asks.

We all sit up a little straighter as Caro furrows her eyebrows. “Um… sure. Is there a problem?”

“There is an issue, yes. Please come with us to discuss with the Board.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stand up, and my muscles clench. “What’s going on?” I ask, standing up.

“We will discuss that with Miss Hughes. If you will, please?” He waves his hand for Caro to walk, so she stands up, looking at East, who gives a slight dip of the chin, encouraging her as she walks off with them.

I glance at Coby, who shakes his head, as East runs his hands over his short-haired scalp.

“This is bad. If the Board is involved, it’s something to do with the medal,” East informs me.

“Jesus Christ,” I murmur.

We all move toward the boardroom. We want to be there when Caro comes out to support her, and we want to know what’s going on. We all pace frantically in silence, not understanding what the hell this is about but knowing it’s not good.

“What the fuck is taking so long?” I blurt out.

“Lace, I’m sure whatever it is, it’s being sorted correctly,” Coby tries to reassure me.

The doors finally swing open, and Tuck steps out, holding an inconsolable Caro while she sobs uncontrollably.

“Shit!” I say, racing over to her. “What’s going on, Tuck?” I pull Caro into my arms, and she sobs into my neck as her body flops onto me like jelly.

“Caroline’s been disqualified.”

“What!” East cries.

“Why?” I ask as she cries harder into my shoulder.

“Her drug test came back with traces of Adrafinil.”

Shaking my head as I furrow my brows, I huff. “I don’t understand.”

“I didn’t take it,” Caro blurts out.

“Three more swimmers have been found with the stimulant in their systems, too,” Tuck adds.

East sags his body and shakes his head. “The drinks at the damn party…”

I gasp.

“Are you saying someone’s slipping banned substances to the opposition?” Tuck asks.

“Yes, Marta Botwright,” I say, rubbing up and down Caro’s arms.

“Okay, leave this with me. If I can find proof, I’ll have her wiped out.”

“What does this mean for Caro?” I ask.

Tuck huffs as Caro cries harder and moves from me to East. He pulls her into his arms, embracing her tightly.

“It means… unfortunately, she has a banned substance in her system. She’s removed from the relay team and…” he takes a deep breath, “… loses her gold medal.”

Gasping, I go weak in my knees.

Coby catches me as my eyes flood with tears. My heart tightens for my best friend, my housemate, my teammate, my family. I can’t even imagine going through all of this—to win, then to have it stripped because you drank some tainted soda. This is so far into the realm of not fair it’s not funny.

“Can I let you guys take care of her? I need to sort this out,” Tuck asks.

I nod.

East continues to hold onto Caro tightly.

“Yes, go Tuck and please… bring her down.”

“I’ll do my best.” He walks off.

I turn to Coby, who shakes his head.

East leans in, kissing Caro’s head. “C’mon, let’s get out of here and go to the lounge. I think I should tell your parents, Caro,” I suggest, and she signals agreement silently through her tears.

Pulling out my phone, I send a quick text to Trinny to meet us in the lounge, saying there’s been a development and Caro needs her family. We take Caro to the lounge, and by the time we arrive, her family’s already there. They see the mess Caro’s in, and East tells them what’s going on while I stand back with Coby holding me for support. I can’t stand to see this happening to her. And when the news gets out that she has drugs in her system and her medal is stripped, everyone will think she’s a drug cheat, and it will not only tarnish her but the Australian team name as well.

This is bad.

This is so bad.

Tears trickle down my face as I stand back, watching Trinny comfort Caro. Her brothers try to calm East down. This whole thing is crazy and ridiculous, and I can’t stop my head from spinning.

Coby grabs my hand and pulls me aside as the tears fall down my cheeks. He pulls me to him in an embrace, and I snuggle completely into him, needing the comfort right now.

“Are you okay?” Coby whispers.

Shaking my head against his chest, I sniff. “I’m so glad I didn’t drink the damn soda.”

He rubs the back of my head for comfort. “What do you think Caro will do?”

“Probably go home and be with her parents for a while. Being here would only be a harsh reminder, I would imagine.”

“Yeah, it puts a dampener on the whole damn thing, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, sure does, because even if they find that Marta planted the drugs, they’re still a banned substance and in Caro’s system, so the disqualification can’t be overturned, can it?”

He shakes his head. “I doubt it. If you have drugs in your system, no matter how they got there, they’re there. That’s a disqualification no matter how sad the story is.”

“This is bullshit.”

He sighs. “I know, trust me, I know.”

Caro walks over to me, and I pull myself from Coby to hug her. Wrapping my arms around her, she clings to me tightly. “How are you doing?”

She sniffs. “I can’t be here.”

I exhale. “I understand. Do you want me to come home with you?”

“No! You stay for the relay. Australia needs you.”

Tilting my head, I slump. “Caro, you need me more.”

“No, I’m fine. I just want to spend some time with Mum and Dad at home, away from everything and anything swimming right now.”

That includes me.

I’m just as much a reminder of swimming as anything else, but I understand. “Okay, but if in the next few days, you need me, you tell me, and I’ll be on the first flight back to you.”

“Thanks, but I mean it. You stay for the relay and kick some goddamn arse.”

Half smiling, I gesture in understanding. “I promise.”

Trinny walks over and leans in, embracing me tightly. “Good luck, darling, we’ll be watching at home. You can phone anytime you need us, okay?”

I smile. “Okay, thanks for being here, but take care of my girl.”

“Will do.”

Trinny grabs Caro, pulling her into her side, and they walk off with her family.

Coby moves back in to hold me. I can’t help a wave of emotion that washes over me, and I begin to cry. Suddenly, my support here has evaporated. Caro and her family are like my family , and now they’re leaving, all I have is Coby and East. And while they’re great… nothing beats actual family supporting you and being by your side.

“C’mon, let’s go find somewhere quiet where we can let you gather yourself,” Coby offers.

I nod, and we head to our nook.

Taking the short walk, we set up on the ground, and Coby rests his back against the wall. I sit in between his legs, leaning against his front. I rest my head on his shoulder. He wraps his arms around my waist and holds onto me as I whimper.

“It’s okay to be upset, Lace.”

I wipe the tears from my cheeks. “I can’t even imagine what she’s going through right now.”

“It’s probably best for your sanity if you don’t try too hard to think about it. Just be there for her when she messages or calls, and when she gives herself space, let her have it. She’s going to need time to get her head around this.”

“Yeah. I just wish there was more I could do.”

“I don’t think there’s anything anyone can do… except to seek justice. If Tuck can find a way to bring Marta down, we have to help him.”

“Agreed.” I cuddle back into him and sigh, just needing to be near him right now.